Search

He spent the day at THE putt putt palace on Rio Road, snapping shots of the latest crowned Southeastern Putt Putt Queen.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Didn’t know such a thing existed? Don’t be foolish. Back in the 1960s, even South Africa had a Putt Putt Queen!

It is worth mentioning that in the late 1960s, the putt putt business had really gone a tad overboard. In addition to this full-blown international beauty contest, they published a regular newsletter, established a motto (“America’s Newest Professional Sport”) and even enlisted a chaplain (perhaps to cut down on the cursing when those *&@$ed windmills ate your ball?).

The appearance of “Miss Putt Putt,” as Rip named her in 1968, may have been a recurrence of the previous year’s PPA Tournament as part of the Charlottesville Dogwood Festival. This 1967 tournament included a $1000 prize, a parade of national beauty queens, and an appearance by Ken Boy, the 1966 “Putter of the Year.”